What kind of winter morning would you choose?
As light gathered in the eastern sky, I bundled into my winter coat, donned my gloves, and debated whether to wear my furry hat or ski mask. I hooked the leash to Baxter’s collar and opened the side door of my house. A blast of bitter cold seeped through the fiber of my gloves and my over-eager Pembroke Welsh Corgi pulled me toward mounds of snow lining the driveway. The temperature was at -10 degrees and the breeze against my cheek told me I didn’t want to know an actual wind-chill number.
A nearly full moon at midpoint in the western sky, cast a flourescent glow over the snow-smeared landscape. The random sound of highway traffic a mile away sounded like nothing more than a muffled whisper. All was calm. All was quiet.
I love the peace of a pre-dawn morning.
So which did I focus on – the beauty of the moonlit scene or the bitter cold seeping through my coat?
Which would you choose?
We’d like to appear put together enough to say, “Why, the beauty of the early morning moon of course.”
Here’s the tell-tale answer. If you walked back into the house, what would you say to your family?
“Brr, it’s cold out there.”
OR
“Wow, what a beautiful morning!”
Transparency says we’d probably mention the cold. It’s protocol, you know. It’s what everyone talks about. You’re either sick, senseless, or stoic if you don’t act cold in minus ten degree weather.
Why not the moon?
We can focus on the cold. Or we can mention the moon and the serene morning.
Oh yeah, right. I can just imagine my husband’s sleep filled eyes rolling back in his head as I, with my frost-bitten nose, bebop into the kitchen, side-stepping the proffered cup of coffee. “Oh! The moon was so pretty. You should see it!” Right, Sweetheart. Are you crazy? I’m not moving two feet away from this coffee pot.
Why not?
Let him think I’m crazy. After all, doesn’t the Bible say to think on the good stuff? Check out Philippians 4:8. Whatever is good and lovely. Think on these things.
I’m just being honest. Baby it’s cold out there.
Why are we only being honest and transparent when we mention the negative stuff? Isn’t it just as honest and transparent to share with others our love of the landscape? Besides, we’re doing everyone else a favor by not mentioning the cold. It makes everyone else feel, well, less cold.
Believe me, as central Illinois heads into the second week of below zero low temperatures, it’s tempting to focus on the cold. To talk about the cold. To think about the cold instead of the moon. When my husband asked me this morning, “How are you?” I had to admit to him. I was getting cranky because of the cold.
The moon was still out there.
And it was beautiful. It reminded me of the One who made it, the One who is in charge of the moon’s orbit. Temperatures may rise and fall, but the moon never changes. Clouds may obliterate its light; snow may pour from the sky, but the moon is still there. Its routine is as reliable as the rising of the sun and as durable as the existence of the earth. The same God also made the cold temperatures and, while they aren’t pleasant, they won’t last forever. They won’t last because God holds His hand over control of the seasons.
“As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” – Genesis 9:22
The cold and the moon remind me of God’s faithfulness. I think I’ll choose to focus on the Creator of both.
How about you?
Try it. Watch your family react. Take the cup of coffee first though. You wouldn’t want them to spill a good cup of warm coffee.
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